The quickest way to remove someone

Open the group chat, tap the group name at the top of the screen, then tap the person's name in the member list. A menu will appear with a "Remove" option — tap it, and they are out. The person will see they have been removed, and they cannot see any messages sent after that point.

The whole process takes about ten seconds. The removed person gets a notification that they were removed, so this is not a silent action. If you want to remove multiple people, you repeat this step for each one.

If you are not the group creator, you can only remove people if the group owner gave you admin rights. Without admin rights, you cannot remove anyone — you can only leave the group yourself.

Key Takeaways

  • Only group admins can remove members; if you created the group, you are automatically an admin.
  • The removed person receives a notification that they were removed and loses access to all future messages in that chat.
  • Removing someone does not delete the messages they already sent — other members can still see their past contributions.
  • If you are not an admin, you cannot remove anyone; you can only leave the group or ask the group creator to remove them.

What the removed person can and cannot see

Once someone is removed, they cannot read any new messages posted to the group. However, they can still see every message they received before the removal happened. If the group was active for three weeks before you removed them, they keep access to all three weeks of conversation history on their phone.

They also cannot rejoin the group on their own. If someone wants back in after being removed, the group creator or an admin has to add them again manually. There is no "request to rejoin" feature in Snapchat groups.

How to give someone admin rights so they can remove people too

Open the group chat, tap the group name at the top, then tap the person's name. Instead of "Remove," you will see "Make Admin" — tap it. That person now has the same removal powers you do.

You can have multiple admins in one group. Each admin can remove members independently, and they can also make other people admins. There is no limit to how many admins a group can have, though in practice most groups have just one or two.

If you want to take admin rights away from someone, tap their name and select "Remove Admin." They stay in the group but lose the ability to remove other people.

Removing someone versus leaving the group yourself

Removing someone else is different from leaving. When you remove a person, they get notified and cannot see future messages. When you leave a group, you straightforward exit — the group continues without you, and other members keep chatting normally.

If you are the only admin and you leave the group, Snapchat automatically makes the oldest remaining member an admin so the group does not get stuck with no one able to manage it. If you want to remove everyone and shut the group down entirely, you have to remove each person individually; there is no "delete group" button.

What happens if the group creator removes everyone

If you remove all members from a group you created, the group still exists on your phone — it just sits empty. You can add people back anytime, or you can leave the empty group yourself, which deletes it from your chat list.

Other members who were removed do not see an empty group on their end. Once they are removed, the group disappears from their chat list entirely. If you add them back later, it reappears for them as a new invitation.

Removing someone from a group versus blocking them

Removing someone from a group is not the same as blocking them. When you remove someone, they can still send you direct messages, add you as a friend, or see your public stories — they just cannot see that specific group chat anymore.

If you want to prevent someone from contacting you at all, you need to block them separately. Blocking is a different action found in your privacy settings or in a direct message with that person. Removing from a group only affects that one chat.

Troubleshooting: Why you might not see a remove option

If you tap someone's name and do not see "Remove," you are probably not an admin. Only group admins see the remove option. Ask the group creator to make you an admin, or ask them to remove the person for you.

Another reason the option might not appear is if you are looking at a one-on-one chat instead of a group. You cannot remove someone from a direct message because it is just the two of you. If you want to stop talking to someone in a direct message, you can block them or straightforward stop responding.

If the group chat is very new, sometimes the interface takes a moment to load. Close the group and reopen it, then try again. If the remove option still does not appear after a few seconds, restart the Snapchat app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone rejoin a group after being removed?

No, not on their own. An admin has to add them back manually. If you removed someone by mistake, you can add them again right away by tapping the group name, then the plus icon to add members, then their name.

Will the removed person know who removed them?

They will see a notification that they were removed from the group, but Snapchat does not tell them which person did it. They will only know they are no longer in the chat.

Can I remove someone without them getting a notification?

No. Snapchat always notifies the person that they were removed. There is no silent removal option.

What if I remove someone and then want to add them back when ready?

Open the group, tap the group name, tap the plus icon to add members, search for their name, and tap it. They will get a new notification that they were added back. They will not see any messages that were sent while they were removed.

Can a removed person still see the group in their chat list?

No. Once removed, the group disappears from their chat list. If you add them back later, it reappears as a new chat they can join.